Scottish Executive

Conservation

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on the review of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee announced in July 2000.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The report on the first stage of the financial, management and policy review of the JNCC has been published today and copies will be placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre. Copies of the report can also be obtained on the JNCC’s website at www.jncc.gov.uk. Interested parties are invited to offer their considered views on the report within three months.

Dental Care

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what alternative methods and funding are proposed for anxiety management of dental patients given that all dental general anaesthesia will end outside hospitals by January 2002.

Susan Deacon: General anaesthesia for NHS dental treatment will be available only in a hospital setting from 1 April 2001.

  The main alternative means of treating dentally anxious patients is sedation. The Scottish Council for Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education receives funding from the Executive to run courses on sedation for general dental practitioners.

Dental Care

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding package is available to dentists in remote and rural areas and whether this package will be re-examined in the light of any shortage of dentists and problems encountered in accessing a local dentist in such areas.

Susan Deacon: Measures include:

  Scottish Dental Access Initiative grants to encourage practitioners to set up or expand NHS practices in areas of unmet patient demand or high oral health need, including rural and remote areas where pro rata grant may be offered for opening a part-time branch practice, and

  a scheme whereby fees may be paid to dentists travelling to remote or rural areas for loss of remunerative time spent on travel and to compensate the dentist where visits are cancelled at short notice.

  In areas of sparse population and in other areas where there are difficulties in attracting NHS dentists, health boards or Primary Care NHS Trusts may apply to Scottish ministers to approve the appointment of one or more dentists directly salaried by the NHS to provide dental services. The problems of NHS dental access in remote and rural areas are currently under review.

Dentists

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether in future some training for undergraduate dentists will be carried out in individual dental practices.

Susan Deacon: Dental schools in both Scotland and the rest of the UK see considerable educational benefit to undergraduate dentists visiting and working in a range of primary care dental services. Outreach education has already been established within the community dental service by Glasgow Dental School and Dundee Dental School are exploring how this could be extended to the General Dental Services through piloting such a development this year within Tayside. If this is successful, Dundee will make recommendations on how such schemes could be used more widely in the education and training of both dental students and students of dental hygiene throughout Scotland.

Doctors

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether sufficient doctors are being trained to meet future needs as outlined in Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change .

Susan Deacon: Current training programmes are expected to produce sufficient trained staff to meet the projected increases in the number of consultants outlined in Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change . The Executive will also shortly undertake a fundamental review of medical workforce planning that will look at the many complex areas surrounding the supply of trained doctors to NHSScotland.

Domestic Fuel Prices

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Her Majesty’s Government regarding the impact of the domestic fuel oil price increase of over 100% in the last 18 months on (a) its social inclusion strategy, (b) the budgets of local authorities and (c) the health care of elderly and vulnerable people.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Discussions with the UK Government take place on a wide range of subjects including energy policy and fuel issues.

Employment

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the employment rate of working age males in Glasgow will reach the national average.

Ms Wendy Alexander: According to the Labour Force Survey run by the Office for National Statistics, in summer 1997 the employment rate for working aged men in Glasgow was 62.0%. This had risen by 3.2 percentage points to 65.2% in summer 2000. Over the same three years, the employment rate in Scotland amongst working aged men increased by 2.2 percentage points from 75.2 to 77.4%.

  Through its membership of the Glasgow Alliance, the Executive is working in partnership with all of the relevant authorities and agencies to address this issue in the city. The alliance’s target is to provide 15,000 additional job placements for Glaswegians by 2003.

Enterprise

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the outcomes from the Borders Visions conference held in Carlisle on 6 October 2000 and, if so, what steps it will take in response.

Ms Wendy Alexander: I understand that a second Borders Visions Conference will be held on 4 and 5 October 2001. The theme of this conference will be the delivery of services in rural areas.

Environment

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations have been made by it to the Ministry of Defence regarding any noise pollution caused by low flying aircraft exercises.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The Executive is in regular contact with the Ministry of Defence on a range of issues, including noise pollution from aircraft.

Environment

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current position is regarding implementation of EC Directive 98/9 relating to the marketing of biocidal products.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The Directive concerns the placing of biocidal products in the market. It brings in an approval system for four categories of biocidal product – disinfectants and general biocides, preservatives, pest control agents and other biocides, such as anti-fouling agents and embalming fluids. It aims to provide a high level of protection for humans, animals and the environment and to harmonise the European market for such products. The regime covers both reserved and devolved issues. In that circumstance, I have agreed that implementation should be by GB Regulations. A copy of the Regulations, which have been laid before the UK Parliament, will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Exam Results

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost to schools was of additional work arising from the problems with the issue of this year’s exam results (a) in total and (b) in terms of (i) person hours and (ii) phone calls.

Mr Jack McConnell: The information requested is not held centrally. As we have announced (question S1W-9725), the Scottish Executive will consider any claims submitted by authorities in respect of any relevant additional costs.

Finance

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many specific amendments were made to its budget within the course of the budget in the last full year for which figures are available.

Angus MacKay: Amendments to the 2000-01 Scottish Budget are set out in the Autumn, Winter and Spring Revisions documents.

General Practitioners

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take in the light of the survey by the British Medical Association Scotland which reported a decline in morale among general practitioners.

Susan Deacon: GP morale is affected by many factors, some of which are beyond the scope of Government. However, the Scottish Executive values the work of all health professionals and is working closely with professional groups to ensure that their needs are addressed. A range of measures is set out in the Scottish Health Plan, Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change , which was published in December.

Health

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the most recent statistics are and relating to sudden infant deaths (cot deaths) and how many of these can be linked to exposure to tobacco smoke.

Susan Deacon: There were 41 cot deaths in the calendar year 1999. Figures for year 2000 are not yet available.

  Information on the number of cot deaths linked to exposure to tobacco smoke is not held centrally.

Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many fatalities there have been due to methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus in each of the last three years, broken down by health board area.

Susan Deacon: All information on cause of death collected when a death is registered is held on public registers. The General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) collates this information and codes the cause of death data using the World Health Organisation’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD). There is not at present a specific ICD code for methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). It is therefore not possible to identify the numbers of deaths to which MRSA may have contributed.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost is of (a) a heart bypass and (b) a hip replacement operation in the NHS.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive does not collect routine information centrally on the costs of specific operations in the NHS.

Multiple Sclerosis

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current position is on the progress being made by the Health Technology Board for Scotland in the evaluation of recommendations on the use of beta interferon for MS sufferers and when the board will issue guidance on this matter.

Susan Deacon: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-11383 on 23 February 2001.

NHS Charges

Dr Richard Simpson (Ochil) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase prescription or other National Health Service charges.

Susan Deacon: We shall lay today regulations to increase prescription and other National Health Service charges in Scotland from 1 April 2001. There will be a 1.67% increase in the prescription charge of 10p, from £6.00 to £6.10 per item dispensed.

  This is well within our commitment that NHS charges will rise by no more than the rate of inflation and means that prescription charges will again fall in real terms. This is the third successive year that the increase has been held to 10p.

  Prescription pre-payment certificates will go up from £31.40 to £31.90 (1.59%) for four months and from £86.20 to £87.60 (1.62%) for 12 months. The arrangements under which refunds can be obtained on the unused portion of certificates will be extended under the new regulations.

  Prescription charges are expected to raise around £45 million for the NHS in Scotland in 2001-02.

  Charges for elastic stockings and tights, wigs and most fabric supports supplied through the Hospital Service will be increased similarly.

  The maximum patient charge for a single course of dental treatment begun on or after 1 April 2001 will increase from £354 to £360. Only about one in every 1,000 courses of treatment will attract the new maximum charge.

NHS Equipment

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of any risk to patients during surgery through tipping operating tables.

Susan Deacon: Medical devices, including operating theatre tables, are regulated at UK level by the Medical Devices Agency. Scottish Healthcare Supplies, which is a division of the Common Services Agency, acts on behalf of the Health Department to monitor the safety of medical devices in Scotland. I understand that Scottish Healthcare Supplies is currently investigating reports of a small number of recent incidents involving malfunctions of operating tables. No conclusion has yet been reached on potential risks to patients.

Nursing

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many nurse practitioners there are within the Greater Glasgow Health Board area, broken down by NHS Trust.

Susan Deacon: The information requested is not held centrally.

Organ Transplants

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Heart Transplant Unit at Glasgow Royal Infirmary is now fully staffed and operational; when heart transplant surgery will recommence there, and how many transplants are planned in the next 12 months.

Susan Deacon: I am currently considering the position of the Scottish Heart Transplant Unit and intend to make an announcement in the near future. It will cover the points raised in the question.

Public Bodies

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-9636 by Angus MacKay on 20 November 2000, whether it will detail the budget of each of the bodies listed in each year for which figures are available.

Angus MacKay: Non-departmental public bodies vary in their accounting procedures and many, such as Advisory Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs), have no budget responsibilities. Annual reports and accounts are the main vehicles by which NDPBs discharge their accountability functions to enable the Parliament, the taxpayer and customers to judge whether the NDPB is securing value-for-money in its operations. Annual reports and accounts are not held centrally. A compilation of NDPB financial information, including total gross expenditure and amount funded by Government can be found in the annual publication Public Bodies , the latest version of which was released in December 2000. This edition of Public Bodies is available from the Parliament’s Reference Centre and this and previous editions are available from the Cabinet Office website at www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/quango/index/pubs.htm.

Road Accidents

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-13337 by Sarah Boyack on 28 February 2001, how it plans to compare accident rates on the trunk road network which are attributable to winter weather conditions between the years when local authorities carried out road maintenance, snow clearance and gritting and those when private contractors carried out such work.

Sarah Boyack: Road accident statistics for the trunk road network in Scotland are recorded on an annual basis enabling any change in the number of accidents attributable to any particular cause, such as winter weather conditions, to be identified.

Rural Transport

Dr Winnie Ewing (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will take any initiatives or introduce any policy measures in the light of Recommendation C of the 2nd Report 2001 of the Rural Development Committee regarding subsidy of road and ferry transport costs for businesses operating in Scotland’s most remote island communities.

Sarah Boyack: We are committed to providing support for transport to and within remote communities in the Highlands and Islands. In relation to lifeline ferry services, revenue support to Caledonian MacBrayne to support services to the Western Isles and on the Clyde is at a record £19.9 million in the current year. We are also paying £11 million in Block Subsidy to P&O Scottish Ferries in respect of its services to the Northern Isles. In relation to roads, last year’s Spending Review provided an additional £70 million over the next three years to tackle the backlog of repairs to local roads and bridge maintenance, as part of the single allocations to local authorities. £444 million is already committed to strengthening the trunk road network in 2000-02, and this will rise to £512 million for the period 2002-04. A significant proportion of this investment in both local and trunk roads will flow into the Highlands and Islands.

  More generally, an extra £60 million is being made available over the next three years to enhance transport in the Highlands and Islands following the Spending Review. This figure includes additional provision for Caledonian MacBrayne, Highlands and Islands Airports Limited, lifeline air services, grants for piers and harbours and the Rural Transport Fund.

Scottish Executive Publications

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the full costs were of launching, publishing and distributing its document Freedom of Information – Consultation Draft Legislation .

Mr Jim Wallace: The publication and distribution of the Executive’s draft Freedom of Information Bill cost £5,564. There was no additional cost associated with the launch.

Scottish Opera

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the future funding of Scottish Opera will be.

Mr Sam Galbraith: Scottish Opera has proved in recent years that it is capable of a standard of performance of international class. The productions of Das Rheingold at the Edinburgh Festival last year and of Madame Butterfly have been enthusiastically received by critics and public alike. In addition, its educational and outreach work has proved it capable of reaching out to a the widest possible audience. We should congratulate the company on this excellence and take pride that Scotland is the home of a company capable of delivering such quality.

  I am determined that the company should continue to play the role in the cultural life of Scotland set out in the national cultural strategy for our national companies. It will not be able to do that without significant support from the Scottish Arts Council.

  I have carefully considered the future levels of funding in the light of the circumstances of the company and of the competing pressures within the arts sector and taking into account the comments of the Scottish Arts Council. In preparing that advice, the council invited Sir Peter Jonas, formerly Chief Executive of English National Opera, to review the business plan. Among his observations was that in terms of the level of subsidy and staffing levels, Scottish Opera compares favourably with a number of other companies with which he is familiar.

  I have also taken account of the effects of the period of extreme financial difficulty and uncertainty faced by the company, which led to the emergency payments of £2.1 million in November 1999. I am determined to avoid similar crises occurring again. It was evident at the time of that emergency support that a period of adjustment was necessary before the company would reach a position of financial stability. A new Chairman, a new board and new management team have taken a grip of the company and are addressing the formidable challenges in creating that stability. Nevertheless this year has not been easy, despite the considerable artistic success. In order to control its costs, the board took the difficult decision to go dark in the last quarter of this year when there have been no main scale productions.

  I have also taken particular account of the exceptional costs imposed on the company by the ambitious project to perform the Ring Cycle over this and the next three years. I firmly believe that this will be seen as an artistic triumph and bring great credit to the company, to the Edinburgh International Festival and to Scotland generally.

  I am therefore pleased to confirm that significantly increased resources will be available to the company in this and the next three years. In total, over these four years support from the Scottish Arts Council will amount to £30.634 million. The annual grant for next year, and each of the subsequent two years will be £7.473 million. The support in this year will ensure that the company enters the next three-year period in as stable a financial position as possible.

  This is a generous settlement, but it still imposes severe financial discipline on the company. It will have to seek cost savings and plan its future programme within strict financial constraints. The company now has the management and artistic team in place to ensure this and that it lives within its means and fulfils its potential.

Waste Management

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how NHS Trusts are developing a cost-effective approach for recycling domestic waste in order to reduce the amount sent to landfill sites as suggested in the Audit Scotland Report, Waste Management in Scotland’s Hospitals .

Susan Deacon: The NHSScotland Clinical Waste Steering Group is considering the Audit Scotland Report and will prepare an Action Plan which will address this issue, amongst others, in collaboration with the NHS in Scotland Property and Environment Forum. The outline objectives of the Action Plan will be to produce further waste training/education guidance to encourage waste segregation and promote minimisation.

Waste Management

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how NHS Trusts ensure that clinical waste is properly and efficiently segregated, stored, transported and disposed of, in line with its Health Department’s document Safe Disposal of Clinical Waste and with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s National Waste Management Strategy for Scotland .

Susan Deacon: As set out in the January 2001 Audit Scotland report, Waste Management in Scottish Hospitals , the performance of NHS Trusts in adhering to the fundamental principles of good waste management is generally very good albeit that examples of poor practice were identified in various areas including training, staff compliance with safety standards and the monitoring of uplift and disposal of clinical waste.

  The NHSScotland Clinical Waste Steering Group in collaboration with the NHS in Scotland Property and Environment Forum has issued specific guidance to NHS Trusts, in the form of Scottish Hospital Technical Note 3 – version: 3 August 2000. It is also considering the Audit Scotland Report and will prepare an Action Plan which will address the issues raised in the report. The opportunity to underline the importance of not only complying with statutory requirements, and following codes of practice and best practice guidance specific to arrangements in Scotland, will be taken.

Water Charges

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment was made of the likely changes to water charge levels for Band D households in Fife as a result of the proposed restructuring of the water authorities.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The Scottish Executive’s initial assessment is that the efficiencies gained through merging the activities of the three water authorities should offset the increases that will fall on customers in the East of Scotland Water area from averaging charges across Scotland.

Water Charges

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the likely changes to water charge levels for Band D households in the Lothians as a result of the proposed restructuring of the water authorities.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The Scottish Executive’s initial assessment is that the efficiencies gained through merging the activities of the three water authorities should offset the increases that will fall on customers in the East of Scotland Water area from averaging charges across Scotland.

Water Charges

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the total amount of unpaid council tax for 1999-2000 unpaid water and sewerage charges represent.

Peter Peacock: This information is not held centrally.